Abstract

Background

Older persons are at significant risk of drug-related admissions (DRAs). We previously demonstrated that 27% of hospitalizations in geriatric patients were associated with potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) and/or potential prescribing omissions (PPOs) identified by the Screening Tool of Older People’s Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) criteria version 1 (v1). The updated STOPP/START criteria version 2 (v2) comprised a 31% increase in prescribing criteria.

Objective

As a secondary analysis of our study conducted in 2008, we aimed to compare the prevalence and types of DRAs identified by STOPP/START.v1 and STOPP/START.v2.

Methods

We applied the STOPP/START.v2 criteria to a subset of 100 consecutively admitted geriatric patients selected from our original cross-sectional study of 302 patients. A geriatrician and a pharmacist adjudicated whether the identified PIMs and PPOs were related to acute hospitalization. Admissions were defined as DRAs if the identified PIM(s) and/or PPO(s) were related to the main cause of admission or played a significant contributory role in the admission.

Results

The median patient age was 83 years and the median number of medications at home was 8. Compared with STOPP/START.v1, STOPP/START.v2 not only yielded more instances of inappropriate prescribing but also targeted significantly more PIMs and PPOs associated with preventable DRAs (23% vs. 40% of all admissions, p < 0.001). PIMs of fall-risk-increasing drugs, and PPOs of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system drugs, were most frequently associated with DRAs.

Conclusion

The latter instances of inappropriate prescribing with major clinical relevance warrant particular attention during medication review in older persons.